11 UN staff, 30 students at schools killed in Gaza Strip: Spokesperson

At least 11 UN officials and staff, as well as 30 students at UN schools, have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the October 7 attack by Hamas terrorists on Israel, The Times of Israel reported.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said “11 officials and staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) have been killed since Saturday,” referring to the UN agency for Palestine refugees, which also runs schools in Gaza.

“30 UNRWA students were also killed and eight others were injured,” she said.

The victims included five teachers, a gynecologist, an engineer, a counselor and three support staff, UNRWA deputy director Jennifer Austin said in a statement.

She further said: “UNRWA mourns this loss and mourns with our colleagues and the families. UN personnel and civilians must be protected throughout the conflict. We call for an end to the fighting to save more civilian lives lost.”

More than 250,000 people in Gaza have reportedly fled their homes, the UN said.

Most of these people, however, have crammed into schools run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, The Times of Israel reports.

Marking the sixth day of the deadly rocket attack by Hamas, over 1,200 people were killed, more than 3,000 injured and around 100-150 were kidnapped and taken to the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Air Force Chief of Staff Brigadier General Omer Tischler said the Israeli Air Force had not attacked civilians in the Gaza Strip, but that the strikes were no longer “surgical”.

“We do not act like the other side, we do not attack the civilian population. Behind every attack there is a purpose,” he said. “We act precisely and professionally, but not surgically. I’m not talking about single, dozens or hundreds (of strikes). We’re talking about thousands of munitions,” Tischler said.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said Monday he had ordered a “total siege” of the Gaza Strip.

“I have ordered a total siege of the Gaza Strip. There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed,” Gallant said. “We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly,” he added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Wednesday for the protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law.

“About 220,000 Palestinians are now sheltering in 92 UNRWA sites in Gaza,” he said, adding that UN premises, hospitals, clinics and schools “should never be targeted.”

The Palestinian envoy also mentioned Israel’s defense minister’s statement in the letter, which said: “We are fighting human animals… We are imposing a total siege on Gaza. There will be no electricity, no water, no fuel. Everything will be closed.”

He claimed that the “Israeli Occupation Forces (IOS)” continued to attack civilian areas in the Gaza Strip, firing rockets, bombs and artillery by air, land and sea. In violation of all rules of international humanitarian law, Israel deliberately attacks homes, including residential buildings, refugee camps, hospitals and other medical facilities, UNRWA schools, mosques and other civilian properties and infrastructure, including roads, preventing the passage of emergency vehicles and access of humanitarian personnel to assist the wounded.

The letter mentions that the toll is estimated at 849 Palestinians killed, including their families across Gaza, and more than 5,350 wounded by deadly IOF attacks in the days since Israel began its attack on October 7. The fee grows every minute.

He emphasized that the damage done to children and women is indescribable. Children are traumatized and terrorized, orphaned by the hundreds as their parents are killed before their eyes, displaced as their homes are blown up and reduced to rubble, and are among the dead and injured, with over 140 children reported killed. At the time of writing, more than 80 women are also believed to be among the dead, with the death toll still rising.

Giving details of the destruction, the Palestinian envoy called for an end to the bloodshed and the saving of civilian lives and reiterated that the attack on civilians must stop immediately.

Meanwhile, earlier, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US was “actively in discussions” with Israel and Egypt to ensure safe passage of civilians from Gaza, according to The Times of Israel.

“We support safe passage for civilians. The civilians are not to blame for what Hamas has done. They have done nothing wrong and we continue to support safe passage,” Kirby said during a press briefing.

Since Wednesday, the coastal enclave, home to 2.3 million people, has been dealing with a worsening condition as entire city blocks were reduced to rubble and residents looked for places to go.

In addition, the power plant in the Gaza Strip shut down on Wednesday afternoon after it ran out of fuel, the Gaza Energy Authority said, The Jerusalem Post reported.

In an update published on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said dozens of warplanes attacked more than 80 targets in Beit Hanon overnight.

“Dozens of warplanes attacked over 80 targets in Beit Hanon during the night. Incidentally, the planes attacked two bank branches used by the terrorist organization Hamas to finance terrorism in the Gaza Strip, an underground terrorist tunnel on the territory of the Gaza Strip. and two operational headquarters used by the terrorist organization Hamas to direct terrorism to the State of Israel,” the IDF posted on X.

Gaza’s civil defense department warned that there were only a few rescue teams to search for survivors buried under the rubble, and that teams were unable to reach many places due to damaged roads and constant bombardment.

“There is no safe place in Gaza right now,” journalist Hassan Jabbar said after three Palestinian journalists were killed in the bombing of a downtown neighborhood that houses government ministries, media offices and hotels. “I honestly fear for my life.